Why Returning to Writing Here Feels Like Coming Home
Writing is one of my favorite things, yet I haven’t done it here in quite a while. I still journal daily, and I deeply desire to write blogs and books and many things in between, but life is jam-packed with priorities that have kept sharing blogs and updates to a minimum. I still write a lot, but right now, I’m focused on academic writing. More on that in a moment.
Last year, I started a new position in Training and Workforce Development at the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL). While my job is fully remote, I have the option to travel pretty frequently, and I do.
So far this year, I’ve traveled to New York, Colorado, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Washington, D.C. (a few times).
Later this year I plan to go to Texas and Maine for work as well with personal trips to Florida and Colorado on the horizon.
In addition to my work at APHL, I also teach Cultural Diversity and Global Health at Arizona College of Nursing, where I’ve been part of the faculty for almost a year. I’ve learned so much during my time there as an adjunct instructor, and empowering students is as rewarding as it was when I worked in higher ed. Again, the culture is amazing, and I’m thankful to be mentored by leaders who value my success as much as their own.
Working from home is amazing. The pandemic taught me that I could do high-quality work at home, but it’s even better now because the workplace culture I’m in is healthy, inclusive, and just phenomenal. I dreamed of working at a place like APHL before I knew it existed. People in my daily life often ask me about my work, and it’s hard to summarize what I do. In short, APHL (and people like me within the organization) seeks to create a better world by strengthening the public health laboratory system. (That cleared it up, right)? I should probably write a blog post just about that! Check out some of the highlights from my work trips below.
I’m also on track to complete my doctorate at Tulane in less than a year, thus the academic writing I mentioned at the beginning of this post. My dissertation topic focuses on the negative effects of weight stigma and implicit bias and how they lead to a lower health-related quality of life (HRQoL) for people with obesity.
My population is more specific than people with obesity, but the topic is already so long that I risk seeing people’s eyes glaze over if I talk about it very long. Such is the life of an academic, and I’m more than okay with that.
I knew earning a doctorate wouldn’t be easy. Only 13.1% of individuals in the US have an advanced degree. Michael and I both have master’s degrees, so our household numbers are skewed. Ha And only about 2% of individuals hold a doctorate. I will join that number in May 2025 if all goes well!
I’m glad I didn’t know how challenging it would be when I started.
I’m entering my final year, and this summer felt a little brutal. I cry pretty regularly because it’s overwhelming with everything else I do; it’s just part of my process. I cry, take deep breaths, then I do the work. I’ve made friends within my cohort at the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine that I hope to know forever.
It’s hard to explain how daunting it can feel at times, and I’m grateful for my friends who are in it with me. I’m particularly thankful for the ones who plan to drag me across the graduation stage if that’s what it takes. I don’t know how I’d do this without their support.
God and Michael have offered me heaps of grace and support in this season, too. Speaking of Michael, he recently accepted a job at a different financial firm, and he’s continuing to find new opportunities to help people make informed choices about their financial futures. While his background is in accounting, over the last few years he discovered that there’s a place for him in finance, too. He’s a numbers guy and a people guy! It’s so cool to see him thriving in work that fulfills him. We’re thankful for the time he had at his last firm, but I’m happy to see him growing and living out his purpose where he can grow and thrive.
We’re still active members at Church of the King, where I serve on the worship team. I serve far less frequently than I have in other seasons, but I feel as supported there now as I ever have. I’m grateful for every opportunity I have to encourage people to seek God, and I have more opportunities to do that outside the walls of the church than in it.
Our pups, Oliver and George, are both enjoying my remote lifestyle, too. Seriously, I used to dream of having a big, pretty office of my own, and now I’m content to enjoy my cute, little office at home, and our pups love it too!
I enjoy the flexibility that allows me to put lunch in the slow cooker - today we’re having Mississippi Roast! Have you had it? It also allows me to continue sharing encouragement in my recurring segment on Great Day Louisiana! I’ll be in the studio recording this week, and I cannot believe it’s been almost five years since my first segment!
And it allows me to balance life and work in a way that promotes rest rather than stress and wholeness. I don’t know if I’ll ever want to return to an office setting. Thankfully, I realize I don’t have to make that decision now.
Life is good. It’s packed, but it’s an incredible season. As challenging as it feels right now, I often remind myself that these are the days I dreamed of for a long, long time. I don’t complain about it much because I’m so utterly grateful.
Writing updates on my blog was the most cathartic thing I did for years. While I have developed other healthy ways to navigate my emotions (and even get to help others build those habits now), writing blog posts still feels like home. I’d like to think I’ll have more time to do it in the coming months. Until my dissertation is done, I’ll write what I can when I can.
If you read this far, I want to thank you for being here. I hope you’ll peruse these pages and find encouragement as we all seek to make progress on our paths.